Automobile door latch



Oct. v1.1, 1960 J. D. LESLIE ETAL 2,955,865 1 V AUTOMOBILE DOOR LATCH Filed ug. 13, 1958 s Sheets-Sheet 1 A TTORNE Y Oct. 11, 1960 J. D. LESLIE ETAL AUTOMOBILE DOOR LATCH Filed Aug. 13, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 3 Y 5% k m s w) w W f M 0 T 1 m2 I w a. Z g Y .J WW fl i B w z H J K O 1 n 5 h 0 In A 1 WM I! ..4! \\J, 23 \IL. 1 y

Oct. 11, 1960 Filed Aug. 13, 1958 J. D. LESLIE ET AL AUTOMOBILE DOOR LATCH 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 .L-\\\ ii I; l J ZZ" 1 W fly L- i l 5 I a 1 34 i w y/ if! INVENTORS c/Zmes$&;z??

AUTOMOBILE DOOR LATCH James 1). Leslie, Birmingham, and Gerhard Rehkugler,

Warren, Mich, assignors to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware FiledAug. 13, 1958, Ser. No, 754,815

7 Claims. (Cl. 292-280) This invention relates to a door latch, and more particularly to a door latch for an automobile having a thin door pillar.

In present-day automobiles there is a trend toward increasing the glass area. lnthe automobile doors this may be accomplished by making the door pillar as thin as, possible, that is, by extending the Windowglass outas, close as possible to the edge of the door. However, it is necessary to mount certain of the door latch parts on the jarnb face of the door which also carries; the

glass run channel which guides the window, Thecopending application of Stanley D. Cockburn et al., entitled Rotary Gear Bolt Door Latch, filed November 16, 19.53, as Serial No. 392,266, new Patent No. 2,871,049, shows a construction wherein the door latch includes a rotary bolt and associated operating parts mounted onthejamb face of the door, many of these parts lying in the plane of the glass runchannel, i.e., in the plane of the window glass. This construction. necessitates terminating the window short of the jamb face of the door with a resultant thicker door pillar than would otherwise be necessary.

This invention relates to a rotary bolt door latch of the general type shown in Patent No. 2,871,049, wherein substantially all the door latch parts are mounted on the: jamb face of the door outboard of the glass r-un channel. In modern automobile construction the doors. are quite thick so that there is a considerable amount of space outboard of the glass run channel. In anautomobile constructed in accordance with this invention, the rotary bolt and ratchet which is unitary with the bolt, the detent, the; outside operating means, the outside locking means, and several of the other latch parts, are entirely outboard of the glass run channel and the only parts which cross over inboard of the glass run channel are a stamped link for connection to the inside locking means and a small diameter rod forming part of the inside operating means. The glass run channel may therefore be mounted closely adjacent the jamb face of the door, providing for increased window glass area and only a thin door pillar.

One feature of the invention is that it provides an improved automobile door and latch construction; another feature of the invention is that it provides a construction in which most of the latch parts are entirely outboard of the glass run channel, whereby a narrow door pillar construction may be provided and the window glass area may be increased; still a. further feature of the invention is that only a stamped lever arm and a small diameter rod cross behind the glass run channel to a, location inboard of the glass run channel so that the glass run channel may be located closely adjacent the jamb face of the door.

Other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the. following description and from the drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a fragmentary side elevational view of an automobile incorporating the improved latch in the front door;

States Patent Patented Oct. ll, 1%80 Fig. 2 is an isometric view of the latch removed from the door;

Fig. 3 is a detail view showing the inside operating rod;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical transverse section taken along the line 4-4 of Fig. 1 and showing the door latch with the parts in unlocked position; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 but showing the parts in locked position.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, an automobile designated generally as has a front door 12 comprising an outer door panel 14, an inner door panel 16, and a jam'o face portion 18. A window in the front door is movable down into the door in conventional manner in a glass run channel 22.

The front door 12 is hingedly mounted in conventional manner (not shown) at its front edge on the body 1% and the door is latched at its rear; edge to a body center pillar 23 in conventional manner as shown for example in Patent No. 2,871,049.

In the automobile shown there is a. rear door 24 which is hingedly mounted in conventional manner at its frontedge on the body pillar 23 and which is latched to the body atits rear edge as shown forexample in Patent No. 2,871,049.

The front door 12 mounts a latch mechanism designated in Fig. 1 as 26 adapted to cooperate with a striker on the body pillar 23 as shown: in Patent No. 2,871,049. The latch may be operated from outside the automobile by means of a push-button assembly 30 which is slidably mounted in a gripping handle 32 which is fixedly secured to the outer door panel 14. For operation from inside the automobile there is a turn handle 34 mounted on the inner door panel 16 and connected to the door latch 26 by a remote rod 36.

The door latch is shown in detail in Figs. 2 and 4. A particular feature of the invention is that the latch boltand most of the associated operating parts are located outboard of the glass run channel 22 so that the glass run channel may be mounted closely adjacent the jamb face 18 of the door, thereby decreasing the width of the door pillar 38.

Referring particularly to Figs. 2, 3, and 4, the door latch comprises a frame 40- provided with countersunk screw embossments 42 for mounting on the jamb face 13 of the; door. The majorportion of the frame is, as shown in Fig. 4, mounted outboard of the glass run channel 22 so that substantially all the latch parts as hereinafter will be pointed out are mounted outboard of the glass run channel, whereby the glass run channel may be located closely adjacent the jamb face 18 of'the door, thereby decreasing the'width of the door pillar 38 over prior art constructions and permitting a greater expanse of glass area in the automobile body. A latch bolt 44 is rigidly secured on the outer surface of the jamb face 18' of the door to a rotatable stub shaft 46 which is journalled in the frame 49 and in a bolthousing 4-8 (Fig. 1 The bolt 44 makes latching engagement with a keeper as shown and described in Patent No. 2,871,049; A toothed ratchet 49 is staked or otherwise rigidly secured to the shaft 46 to be rotatable with the bolt 44. A detent 50 is pivotally mounted on a pivot stud'5'2 on the latch frame 40 at a point below the ratchet 4%, the detent having a foot 54- adapted to engage a tooth of the ratchet 49 to block pivotal movement of the bolt in a door opening direction. The detent is swingable in-a clockwise direction in the drawings to move the foot 54 out of abutting relation with the surface of the ratchet tooth to permit ree rotation of the ratchet and bolt so that the door 12 can be opened. It should be noted with reference to Fig, 4 that the bolt and ratchet and detent are entirely outboard of the glass run channel and form no obstruction to locating the channel closely adjacent the jamb face of the door.

Outside operating means for the door 12 comprises the push button 30 which is slidably mounted in the fixed gripping handle 32 and which is connected to a push rod 56. An outside operating lever 58 is pivotally mounted abtWe the ratchet 49 on a stub shaft 60 on the latch frame and is formed at its upper end with a right angular flange 62 engageable with the push rod 56 when the push button 30 is depressed. An intermittent link :64 is pivotally connected by a rivet 66 to the outside operating lever 58 so that upon operation of the push button, intennittent link 64 is raised. Adjacent its lower end the intermittent link has a shoulder 68 which, when the intermittent link israised and is in unlocked position, picks up the detent 50 through a tab 70 formed thereon. In addition to being shiftably mounted on the outside operating lever 58, the intermittent link 64 is swingable between locked and unlocked positions. In the unlocked position as shown in Fig. 4, the tab 70 is in the path of movement of the shoulder 68 when the operating lever is swung to shift the detent. In Fig. the detent has been swung to its locked position wherein the tab 70 on the detent is out of the path of movement of the shoulder 68 so that upon operation of the push button 30, the intermittent link merely free wheels, being uncoupled from the detent.

Outside locking means for swinging the intermi ttent link between locked and unlocked positions comprises a locking lever 72 pivotally mounted coaxially with the outside operating lever 58 on the stub shaft 60 and engageable with a pin 74 projecting from a right angular extension 76 projecting from a conventional key cylinder mechanism 78. Upon turning a key which-is inserted into the key cylinder 78 through the push button 30, the intermittent link 64 may be swung from the unlocked position of Fig. 4 to the locked position of Fig. 5, where in it merely free wheels without picking up the detent 50. A link 80 is connected at its upper end to the locking lever 72 and at its lower end is connected to one arm of a multi-armed lever 82 which is pivotally mounted on the latch frame on a rivet 84. The lever 82 preferably is a stamped sheet metal part. Turning the key in the lock cylinder from unlocked to locked position lifts up on the link 80 to swing the multi-armed lever 82 in a clockwise direction, thus swinging the intermit tent link 64 to its locked position by virtue of a connection between a tab 86 on the lever 82 and a slot 88 in the intermittent link 64.

Inside operating means for the door latch comprises a rod 90 shown in detail in Fig. 3 and including an upwardly bent inner end portion 90a which is connected to the remote rod 36 operable by the remote turn handle 34. The rod 90 is rotatably journaled in a bearing hub 40a struck in the frame 40 behind the glass run channel '22,.and at its outside end the rod 90 is bent at right angles both to the bearing portion thereof and to the end 90a thereof as shown at 90b. A connecting link 92 ex tends between the bent end 90b of the rod 90 and the detent, being connected to the detent through a pin 94 projecting from the detent into an elongated slot 96 formed in the link 92. By virtue of this pin and slot connection, the remote door handle is not turned upon operation of the outside push button 30. Similarly, since there is only a oneway connection between the tab 70 onthe detent and the shoulder 68 on the intermittent link, cp

eration of the inside handle does not disturb the position of the push button 30. V

' Inside locking is accomplished through an integral arm 82a of the multi-armed lever 82, this am extendingbe- 4 ing button may be depressed to the position shown in Fig. 5, swinging the multi-armed lever 82 in a clockwise direction and swinging theintermittent link 64 in a counterclockwise direction to its unlocked position where the tab on the detent is out of the path of movement of the shoulder 68 on the intermittent link. An overcenter spring 102 connected between the multi-armed lever 82 and the latch frame yieldably holds the lever 82 in its locked or unlocked position. a V l 7 It should be noted that the latch bolt 44, the ratchet 48, the outside operating means including the operating lever 58 and the intermittent link 64, a portion of the inside operating means comprising the connecting link 92, and the outside locking means including the locking lever 72 and the link 80, are all located entirely outboard of the glass run channel 22 and do not interfere with the rearward edge of the window 20. By virtue of this construction, the glass run channel22 can be located closely adjacent the jamb face 18 of the door 12, thus permitting the use of a larger window 20 than has been allowed in prior art constructions. The only portions of the latch which must pass inboard of the glass run channel are the arm 82a of' the stamped multi-armed lever 82 and the relatively small diameter rod 90. Since the bolt, ratchet, detent, and the like, are all located outboard of the glass run channel, there is no necessity for attempting to cramp these parts into a'small space measured transversely of the latch frame to afford space for the glass run channel, and there is no necessity for stacking certain of these parts one atop the other as close together as possible.

The door latch described above incorporates the features of automatic undogging, remote undogging, and keyless locking. The feature of automatic undogging provides that the latch parts will be shifted from looked to unlocked position in the event the door is locked when in open position, and then subsequently closed. An extending leg 64a on the intermittent link lies closely adjacent an ear 50a on the detent when the parts are in locked position as shown in Fig. 5. When the door is closed the bolt rides over a toothed striker as shown in'Patent No. 2,871,049. Consequently, if the door is slammed shut while the parts are in locked position, the detent will be cammed in a clockwise direction as it rides over the sloping back surface of a tooth of the ratchet 54 and the ear 50a will engage the leg 64a to cam the intermittent link 64 back to unlocked position. 1 a i The feature of remote undogging means that when the door is opened from inside the car while it is locked fi'om outside, the latch'parts are shifted back to unlocked position. This is accomplished in the same manner as the automatic undogging operation described above. Operation of the inside handle will move the detent 50 in a clockwise direction so that its ear 50a will pick up the leg 64a of the intermittent link and swing the intermittent link back to unlocked position upon operation of the inside remote handle 34. Keyless locking may be accomplished through a conscious act of the operator merely by pushing in on the push button 30 when the door is slammed shut when in locked position. Depression of the push button 30 will swing the outside operating lever 58 in a clockwise direction to shift the intermittent link upwardly, thereby moving'its undogging foot 6411 out of the path of movement of the ear 50a on the detent when the door is slammed shut.

, While we have shown and described one embodiment of our invention, it is capable of many modifications.

Changes, therefore, in'the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

We claim: i

1. In combination with an automobile door having a jamb facewith a vertically extending glass run channel thereon, means for latching the door comprising. a latch frame mounted on the jamb face of the door, latching means pivotally mounted on said frame, said latching means having a plurality of detent engaging teeth, a detent pivotally mounted on said frame, said detent having a foot adapted to abut a surface of one of said teeth to block pivotal movement of the latching means in a door opening direction, said detent being swingable out of abutting relation with the surface of said tooth, outside operating means for swinging said detent, said latching means, detent, and outside operating means being entirely outboard of said glass run channel, and inside operating means for swinging said detent, said inside operating means crossing inboard of said glass run channel and lying closely adjacent said frame at the location of such crossing.

2. In combination with an automobile door having a jamb face with a vertically extending glass run channel thereon, means for latching the door comprising, a latch frame mounted on the jamb race of the door, latching means pivotally mounted on said frame, said latching means having a plurality of detent engaging teeth, a detent pivotally mounted on said frame, said detent having a foot adapted to abut a surface of one of said teeth to block pivotal movement of the latching means in a door opening direction, said detent being swingable out of abutting relation with the surface of said tooth, outside operating means comprising an operating lever pivotally mounted on said frame and an intermittent link carried by said operating lever, said latching means, detent, operating lever, and intermittent link being entirely outboard of said glass run channel, and inside operating means crossing inboard of said glas run channel and lying closely adjacent said frame at the location of such crossing.

3. In combination with an automobile door having a jamb face with a vertically extending glass run channel thereon, means for latching the door comprising, a latch rame mounted on the jamb face of the door, latching means pivotally mounted on said frame, said latching means having a plurality of detent engaging teeth, a detent pivotally mounted on said frame, said detent having a foot adapted to abut a surface of one of said teeth to block pivotal movement of the latching means in a door opening direction, said detent being swingable out of abutting relation with the surface of said tooth, outside operating means for swinging said detent, outside locking means for rendering said outside operating means ineffective to swing said detent, said latching means, detent, outside operating means, and outside locking means being entirely outboard of said glass run channel, inside operating means for swinging said detent, and inside locking means for rendering said outside operating means ineffective to swing said detent, said inside operating means and inside locking means crossing inboard of said glass run channel and lying closely adjacent said frame at the location of such crossing.

4. In combination with an automobile door having a jamb face with a vertically extending glass run channel thereon, means for latching the door comprising, a latch frame mounted on the jamb face of the door, latching means pivotally mounted on said frame, said latching means having a plurality of detent engaging teeth, a detent pivotally mounted on said frame, said detent having a foot adapted to abut a surface of one of said teeth to block pivotal movement of the latching means in a door opening direction, said detent being swingable out of abutting relation with the surface of said tooth, outside operating means for swinging said detent comprising an operating lever pivotally mounted on said frame and an intermittent link connected to said operating lever, said intermittent link being shiftable upon pivoting said operat ing lever and being swingable between an unlocked position wherein it is coupled to said detent and a locked position wherein it is uncoupled from the detent, outside locking means comprising a locking lever pivotally mounted on the frame and a link connected to Said locking lever, said latching means, detent, outside operating means, and outside locking means being entirely out board of said glass run channel, inside operating means for swinging said detent, and inside locking means for rendering said outside operating means ineffective to swing said detent, said inside operating means and inside locking means crossing inboard of said glass run channel and lying closely adjacent said frame at the location of such crossing.

5. Apparatus of the character claimed in claim 4, wherein said locking lever is pivoted coaxially with said outside operating lever.

6. In combination with an automobile door having a jamb face with a vertically extending glass run channel thereon, means'for latching the door comprising, a latch frame mounted on the jamb face of the door, latching means pivotally mounted on said frame, said latching means having a plurality of detent engaging teeth, a detent pivotally mounted on said frame, said detent having a foot adapted to abut a surface of one of said teeth to block pivotal movement of the latching means in a door opening direction, said detent being swingable out of abutting relation with the surface of said tooth, outside operating means for swinging said detent, said latching means, detent, and outside operating means being entirely outboard of said glas run channel, and inside operating means comprising a rod journaled on said frame and crossing inboard of said glass run channel and a link outboard of said glass run channel connected between said rod and said detent.

7. In combination with an automobile door having a jamb face with a vertically extending glass run channel thereon, means for latching the door comprising, a latch frame mounted on the jamb face of the door, the main body of said frame being outboard of said glass run channel, latching means comprising a bolt rotatably mounted on the outer face of said frame and a ratchet on the inner face of said frame rigid vw'th the bolt, said ratchet having a plurality of detent engaging teeth, a detent pivotally mounted on said frame below the ratchet, said detent having a foot adapted to abut a surface of one of said teeth to block pivotal movement of the bolt and ratchet in a door opening direction, said detent being swingable out of abutting relation with the surface of said tooth, outside operating means for swinging said detent comprising an operating lever pivotally mounted on said frame above said ratchet and an intermittent link connected to said operating lever, said intermittent link being shiftable upon pivoting said operating lever and being swingable between an unlocked position wherein it is coupled to said detent and a locked position wherein it is uncoupled from the detent, a multi-armed lever pivotally mounted on said frame outboard of the glass run channel and connected to said intermittent link, one arm of said multi-armed lever extending inboard of said glass run channel, outside locking means comprising a locking lever pivotally mounted on the frame coaxially with said operating lever and a link connecting said locking lever with said multi-armed lever, inside locking means comprising a manually operable member connected to said one arm of the multi-armed lever, and inside operating means comprising a rod journaled on said frame and extending inboard of the glass run channel and a link connected between said rod and said detent, said bolt, ratchet, detent, outside operating means, and out side locking means being entirely outboard of said glass run channel.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS ,770,917 Hall July 22, 1930 ,802,683 Roethel Aug. 13, 1957 ,87 ,049 Cockburn et al. Jan. 27, 1959 

